Chelsea Rep Production

January 30 - February 10, 2008
Director John Grabowski and Fool's Pearls Productions are proud to present:

On The Verge or, The Geography of Yearning
by Eric Overmyer

On the Verge has become one of Mr. Overmyer's most popular works, due to its heightened, dynamic interplay of language and the often comic, always whip smart insight into nineteenth century women and culture.

John Grabowski's production incorporates innovating lighting, movement and projections for a modern approach to this bold, lively play.

On the Verge begins in 1888 with three fiercely independent explorer ladies as they embark on an adventure that will include not only the darkest of jungles and Himalayan peaks but the brave and exhilarating new world, 1955 America.

Mr. Overmyer arms his heroines with essentials such as pith helmets, rhinestone tiaras, butterfly nets, parasols and egg beaters, as they leave Victorian America behind to seek out unknown land -- Terra Incognita. But as they journey through the jungles of Terra Incognita, incomprehensible, yet melodic words and phrases begin to inexplicably pop out of their mouths: "I like Ike," "Cool Whip," "Mustard Gas," "Mrs. Butterworth," "Burma Shave."

Along their sojourns, only adding to the strangeness, they encounter unlikely characters such as Alfonse, a friendly cannibal; a Beat-poetry spouting troll; a lounge-singing casino owner; a mysterious white-suited stranger known only as Mr. Coffee and even a baby Yeti. As the women traverse the geography of yearning, they discover within themselves a powerful pull towards the future.

"A frolicsome jaunt through a continuum of space, time, history, geography, feminism and fashion, Mr. Overmyer's cavalcade is on the verge of becoming a thoroughly serendipitous journey."
-- Mel Gusgow of The New York Times, regarding a past production of "On the Verge..."